The Angel
by MoonlitSky321
Summary: To his role model, she was always the woman. To him, who was his best friend? One-shot! Enjoy!


**_Note: _**_Hiya, guys! So, this is another ShinRan one-shot! This piece of work has been inspired from a boring Calculus class, a recently read story, and a sweet boyfriend (sadly, not mine! :P) Anyway, I hope you enjoy it!_

_P.S.: This story features Kudo Aya! :)_

**_Disclaimer: _**_I do not own Detective Conan! :(_

_**The Angel**_

-.-

"_But love is an emotional thing, and whatever is emotional is opposed to that true, cold reason which I placed above all things. I should never marry myself, lest I bias my judgment."_

-Sherlock Holmes: The Sign of Four-

-.-

To Sherlock Holmes, Irene Adler had always been _the_ woman. He was not interested in her romantically; no matter how many times she read _A Scandal in Bohemia_, she could not perceive that Holmes was romantically interested in the witty woman that had outsmarted him.

She had to admit: she had laughed so hard when reading the story for the first time. She might have looked up to Holmes just like her cousin, but she was surprised that the cold, reasonable, fictional detective had been outsmarted by a _woman_. And not just any woman—a criminal; _the_ woman!

Oh, the teasing that came after that!

By the third time that Kudo Aya had read the story, her mind began thinking and perceiving things in her usually unusual way of reading things and people. In many ways, Holmes and Shinichi's personalities were strikingly, frighteningly alike.

Shinichi never allowed his emotions to come through his carefully built wall while he was in a crime scene. His eyes were cold and practical; his knowing gaze precise. His mind shut down everything else and focused on the case at hand, not allowing anything to distract him. Even after he had revealed the murderer and the culprit went down to his/her knees and explained the heartbreaking reason they had to kill, he never wavered.

Aya knew that killing someone was not the solution to revenge. But even she was touched by the heartbreak behind the act. But Shinichi was never touched by it, and he moved on.

Holmes was just the same. His deductive, balanced mind was cold, practical, saw through the smallest things, and distractions were not a factor in his well-developed fictional brain. Though Aya admired and respected his reasoning and was fascinated by his deductions just as much as Shinichi, she couldn't help but feel sad and a little bit intimidated.

Even if he was a fictional character, Aya was aware that Holmes was more of a machine than he was human. He thought and reasoned out facts in his mind, and the process seemed to lock his heart and emotions away. And in a sense, it made her sad.

Our hearts and emotions are what identify us as humans. If a person did not feel fear, sadness, happiness, confusion, friendship, or love, how could he say he was alive? If a person did not cry, how could he say that he is human? If he could not touch those feelings, how could he live?

Aya did not know.

Thankfully, this was the only point that Shinichi did not get from Holmes.

Even though he hides it well, Aya knew that Shinichi was perfectly human. He felt. Maybe not to suspects, but to the victims. Maybe not to the culprits, but to the people who were forced to be present for the sad accident. And she knew he felt outside the criminology department too.

She saw it when he was with his parents. Even though he was embarrassed most of the time by his mother hugging him out of the blue, or his father winking every now and then when a brunette beauty was present in the room, she could see that Shinichi loved his parents and that he looked up to them in more ways than one.

She saw it when he was with hakase and the kids—when he was still Conan-kun. He cared about the kids more than he cared about his own safety. Aya was sure he'll be a great father someday. She couldn't wait!

She saw it when he was with her. He teased her and made fun of her and called her every name that she hated—and vice versa—but she could see that he genuinely cared about her and her best interest.

She saw it when he was with Mouri Ran. But that was a whole other story. They argued like an old married couple most of the time, but were always there for each other at the end of the day. They fought over the stupidest things in history and end up not talking to each other for more than a week, but then, Aya would find them laughing like nothing has happened.

Sometimes, Aya classified the behaviour as simply strong, unbreakable friendship. At other times, she classified it as true, everlasting love. It was hard to determine which was more accurate, since Shinichi and Ran tended to dance a very complicated waltz around their relationship.

In the end, Aya classified it as something between the two—friendship and love. After all, she believed that the true, strong love always started from the strong foundation of a true friendship.

She smiled to herself lightly just as Shinichi look at her from across the room.

"Oi! Have you finished it yet? I need the book for my report, you know!"

She blinked, startled. She had just read the first four lines and then was lost in her train of thoughts again, not exactly aware that she was not reading at all. She shook her head slightly, looking up at Shinichi.

"Iie. Gomen. But you can have it if you really need it."

She stood up and walked over to where he sat on the study desk, a few crumbled papers laying around his open copybook. Textbooks were open to different pages and he seemed to be copying a few lines from each four books on four different papers—_was he doing four essays at one time? _Aya wondered, amused.

He grunted his thanks as he searched for the story he was doing his report on.

Aya stood there, tilting her head to the side. "Ne, Shinichi...?"

"Nani?"

"I have a really weird question for you—"

He snorted. "When were your questions never weird, Aya?"

She rolled her eyes. "I'm serious. It's really weird, but I want you to answer it honestly. Do you promise?"

"Do I have much of a choice?"

"No."

"Are you going to leave me to work in peace if I answer it honestly? I want to graduate with Ran."

"Yes."

"Fine. I'll answer it honestly."

"Promise?"

"Promise." He rolled his eyes.

She smiled slightly, running a finger over the edge of the desk. "Well, to Sherlock Holmes, Irene Adler is always _the_ woman."

Shinichi raised an eyebrow, wondering where this was heading.

"So, I was wondering: To Kudo Shinichi, who is Mouri Ran?"

His stunning blue eyes widened in surprise, his cheeks flooded with blood, and his jaw dropped slightly. Aya kept her eyes on his, looking at him with genuine curiosity and interest.

A few minutes later, Shinichi cleared his throat. "That's seriously the weirdest question you have yet to ask."

"You promised you'd answer honestly."

Shinichi paused.

Aya waited hopefully.

Finally, he sighed, looking down at his papers, his eyes avoiding hers completely. "The angel."

She blinked.

"To Kudo Shinichi, Mouri Ran is always _the_ angel."

"Ah." She smiled, and without another word, strode out of the Kudo Study, completing the end of the deal to allow him to study peacefully.

-.-

Suzuki Sonoko looked outside the window, watching as Kudo Shinichi and Mouri Ran walked around the field, laughing about something or the other.

"Seems like you're going to lose the bet, Aya-chan." Sonoko smirked, looking back at her. "We have been in my summer villa for three days and this is the last day. Kudo-kun and Ran are still not together."

Aya shrugged. "The bet is still on until tomorrow afternoon. I'm not giving up for my 100 dollars yet."

"It'll be _you_ who is going to pay _me_."

"We'll see about that."

Aya excused herself to go to the bathroom, leaving Sonoko to continue her mission on spying on the two childhood friends. Really, Sonoko was sure Aya would lose. Shinichi and Ran were so clueless when it came to how they felt about each other.

There was no way that they'll be coming together, or even kissing tonight. Sonoko was sure.

-.-

Ran looked up at Shinichi, eyes sparkling. "Speaking about Holmes, I wanted to ask you something."

Shinichi paused, looking at her with surprise. "You actually _want_ to ask me something about Holmes and _not_ have me shut up about him!"

Ran laughed. "Baka! I'm just curious."

Shinichi grinned and they both stopped before the setting sun. "Fine. Ask away."

"Who is his angel?"

Shinichi froze. "Nani?"

"Lately, whenever Aya-chan is around, she keeps talking about how it's about time Holmes has realized his angel and all that." Ran looked at him, curiously. "I tried remembering something that indicated that you told me about it, but nothing came to mind. In which story has he finally realized his angel?"

Shinichi's well-developed mind couldn't possibly come up with an answer. What would he tell her? How could Shinichi tell her that _she_ was _his_ angel? What if she rejected him? Laughed in his face? What...?

"Shinichi."

She touched his arm, jerking him away from his thoughts. He looked down at her, watching her eyes glittering in the fading sun, her face showing concern, her petite hand resting on his arm, and he couldn't help himself.

His hands cupped her face and he leaned forward...

-.-

Sonoko's eyes widened in shock and surprise as she witnessed the soft, gentle kiss taking place between her best friend and her best friend's best friend. Okay, she was confusing her mind, but whatever!

_They kissed!_

They had actually kissed! And—and—

She jumped as she felt a hand touch her shoulder, and she whirled around to catch the very Kudo smirk playing across Aya-chan's lips.

Her hand was held out, palm facing up.

"Pay up, Sonoko-chan."

-.-

Shinichi pulled away, feeling just as dazed as Ran looked when she fluttered her eyes open. Beyond the horizon, the sun sank lower, bathing them in the soft glow of the beginning twilight.

He couldn't help but smile. "It's you."

Ran's replying smile was just as warm as the second kiss she gifted him with.

**_The End!_** :)

**_Note: _**_Um, let me know what you think! :) _

_Till next time._

_Take care!_


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